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How to Exercise When You Have Diastasis Recti

The Mum Club
The Mum Club21 August 2023
How to Exercise When You Have Diastasis Recti

Around 60% of women experience it after birth. But how do you know if you have it? And how can you exercise safely? We spoke to Pre and postnatal fitness specialist, Hollie Grant of The Bump Plan, to get her expert tips.

What is Diastasis Recti?

Even though it sounds very technical, it is very common and natural and it is when the muscles in your stomach separate in order to make space for your growing baby.

How do you know if you have Diastasis Recti?

After you have had your baby, you can check the size of the separation with this simple technique.

Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Raise your shoulders off the floor slightly and look down at your tummy.
Using the tips of your fingers, feel between the edges of the muscles, above and below your belly button. See how many fingers you can fit into the gap between your muscles.

Ideally your doctor will examine you for DR in your six-week check-up, but it’s not unknown for this to be missed and it’s always worth checking yourself at home or book in with a women’s health physio for a post natal MOT and they will give you essential advice for recovery.

*Advice from NHSUK

How to Exercise with Diastasis Recti?

Pre and postnatal fitness specialist, Hollie Grant says, “When you’ve recovered from birth, unless you’ve been advised not to, you can still move and exercise with a Diastasis Recti. Staying physically active is vital for our physical and mental health, so here are some tips on how to move safely with these conditions.”

Tips for moving safely with diastasis recti

  1. Understand core pressure
    “When we move, we create a certain amount of pressure in the core, and how we manage that pressure can help us manage our symptoms. For example, if we are doing an exercise that causes lots of pressure to our Linea Alba called Doming (this may look like your tummy going pointy) we may want to regress the exercise a little until we can better manage that pressure.”
  2. Listen to your body
    “How does it feel after exercise? Do your symptoms feel worse post exercise? If so, you may be overdoing it or need to work at a lower intensity or shorter duration initially before gradually building your way up.”
  3. Work closely with your GP or Physio
    “It’s important you request support from your healthcare provider – staying active is so beneficial and they should be able to help support you in doing so.”
  4. Do your pelvic floor exercises
    “With the exception of those who have a tight (hypertonic) pelvic floor, most women will benefit from some pelvic floor exercises (also referred to as Kegels). These will help build strength in the pelvic floor, which can help with both DRA and Prolapse symptoms.”
  5. Learn to move well
    “I would say technique is really important for all activities, but particularly when working with a diastasis. Really think about how your body moves, when you feel pressure on your pelvic floor or Linea Alba, whether you are leaking during certain moves, how you feel afterwards, and how to maintain good form when exercising. It can really help to ensure we are managing load well and creating some good habits that are transferable to everyday life.”
The Mum Club
The Mum Club21 August 2023
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